Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s 2019 “Rebuild Illinois” plan created automatic inflationary adjustments in the state gas tax, which could reach over $1 per gallon by 2056.

Illinois’ state gas tax is slated to go up every year without lawmakers ever voting on the increases.

The state went almost 30 years without raising the tax, which was 19 cents a gallon from 1990 to 2019.

That year, as part of his “Rebuild Illinois” infrastructure program, Pritzker doubled the tax to 38 cents a gallon.

More consequentially, the law created automatic yearly increases linked to inflation. Because of that, Illinois drivers will likely pay more in state gas taxes each year for the foreseeable future unless lawmakers take action, as there’s no expiration date on the annual adjustments.

The gas tax could more than double in the next 30 years. By then, it could be over $1 a gallon, five times more than before Pritzker took office.

The automatic increases allow lawmakers to avoid having to pass an unpopular tax hike and justify it to voters. They also can claim credit when they pause the hikes, saying it’s tax relief for residents.

That’s what the governor has done this year, holding off for six months on a 1.3-cents-a-gallon increase that was slated to kick in July 1.

Pritzker made affordability a central theme of his fiscal 2027 budget, but this temporary reprieve does nothing to change the long-term reality of yearly automatic gas tax increases.

The Illinois Tollway Board might even add automatic inflationary adjustments to passenger tolls, despite the Illinois Tollway reporting its highest collections and net revenue in state history.

Pritzker appoints the tollway board members and is himself an ex-officio member, as is the Pritzker-appointed state secretary of transportation.

Meanwhile, Illinois continues to hoard billions in the state’s Road Fund, money meant for improving transportation infrastructure. The fund held over $3.7 billion at the end of fiscal 2025.

Despite this surplus and drivers paying the nation’s second-highest gas taxes, federal data shows that 80.4% of Illinois roads were considered acceptable in 2024, fewer than in 2015, when the gas tax was still 19 cents.

Lawmakers also divert sales tax revenue on gas that would have gone into the Transportation Fund and Downstate Transportation Fund to fill budget shortfalls. The fiscal 2027 budget redirects $150 million in unexpected gas sales tax revenue from higher fuel costs to help close the state’s broader budget gap.

Gas taxes hit working families the hardest. Middle- and low-income Illinoisans often drive older, less fuel-efficient vehicles and spend a larger share of their income commuting to work, getting to school and handling daily necessities.

Lawmakers should be required to vote on state gas tax increases rather let automatic increases allow them to avoid scrutiny from their constituents.

The Bears claim they’re focused on building a new stadium in Indiana. And yet they’re still talking to Illinois.

On Tuesday, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker told reporters that there have been “incoming calls” from the Bears to Pritzker and legislative leaders in recent days.

“The Bears would like to see something happen,” Pritzker said, via Brenden Moore of Capitol News Illinois, “and we all do, too. And so the question is, ‘Can they do that?’”

He said the Bears are currently trying to regroup.

Pritzker added that the Bears made some “fumbles” from the outset of the process. Among other things, he mentioned the lack of focus on one location, the absence of a clear plan in the recent legislative session, and the failure to be present on the final day of the session.

The door is open for a special legislative session, if (as Pritzker said) the House and Senate can get together on one piece of legislation. (Pritzker added that legislative leaders can also call a special session.)

And so, while the Bears have a bird in the hand in Hammond, Indiana, they’re still looking for a solution in Illinois. Which makes sense.

Nothing in Hammond is official, and the team’s stated desire to advance the ball in Indiana looks like nothing more than an effort to get the ball rolling in Illinois.

Most new laws in Illinois take effect at the start of the year, but there are a handful of bills that will actually take effect in the coming weeks.

According to the Illinois General Assembly, most of those laws are technical changes to preexisting laws, but there are a handful that could end up impacting residents or their loved ones in the coming years.

Perhaps the most noteworthy of the bunch was House Bill 1226, which officially goes into effect on July 1.

The bill will now require Illinois residents who are aged 79 or older to renew their driver’s licenses in-person at a Secretary of State’s Office location.

In addition, residents who are 87 or older, or who are 75 or older and seeking to obtain or renew a commercial driver’s license, will be required to take a driver’s test in order to keep their license.

Finally, the bill will also allow family members to the Secretary of State pertaining to the medical condition of their loved ones, though the office will not be able to act on anonymous reports.

A handful of new laws will also impact Illinois schools, including House Bill 3851, which will change the definition of “cyber-bullying” in the state to include the posting or distribution of unauthorized digital images or replicas by electronic means.

Those changes will go into effect for the 2026-27 school year, according to officials.

Senate Bill 0408 also impacts students, providing that a student’s permanent record can include a summary of performance within special educational programs. The bill will also allow the Department of Education to provide that information to the Department of Human Services for the purposes of assessing whether a student is eligible for Medicaid.

Finally, House Bill 2962 will require drivers of school buses or school activity buses that can transport up to 15 people to obtain a school bus driver permit.

One Illinois law that typically is altered on July 1 will not be this year, as the state has opted to forego its annual increase in the fuel tax. That tax increase, indexed for inflation, takes effect on July 1 every year, but will not in 2026 under provisions of the fiscal year 2027 budget passed at the end of the spring legislative session.

A full list of laws that are going into effect on July 1 can be found on the General Assembly’s website.